Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
New School’s Sturner does it all
FAYETTEVILLE — Ask most high school basketball players if they would rather record 20 points or 15 rebounds in one game, and most of them will opt for the offensive glory.
Will Sturner, however, shouldn’t be considered as a typical basketball player.
“Fifteen rebounds,” The New School senior post said. “I’ve never had that. That would be awesome to get. I think my season-high is 12 in a game.
“My favorite thing to do is boxing out and rebounding. It’s what I love to do. It’s a total toughness check. If a guy gets around you and gets an offensive rebound off of you, you can’t look at anyone except yourself. I love it.”
The 6-foot-3 Sturner considers his role is to do whatever it is necessary to get the Cougars a victory. He points out the two games the Cougars played this season against Mulberry as he had 21 points in a game at home, yet he had zero points and nine rebounds in the game at Mulberry.
It is that kind of mentality that led the 6-foot-3 Sturner to becoming the school’s single-season rebound record last years. It’s also why coach David Ferrell considers Sturner one of the most enjoyable young men that he’s had the privilege to coach.
“I would have to put my son (Josh) as my favorite,” Ferrell said. “But if I was going to pick favorites, Will is going to be right there.
“I’ve coached him since seventh grade, and he’s done everything I’ve asked him to do. He’s the kind of young man that really makes you happy when good things happen to him because he’s earned it. He has put in the work to be a good player.”
One of the things Ferrell asked Sturner to do was make a position change. He was mainly a guard as a freshman and a sophomore, but he moved into the post position.
Sturner did it with no questions asked, although he admitted it was difficult at times.
“I’ll be honest — it was a tough transition,” Sturner said. “I struggled for a bit but got the hang of it as I kept going.
“I had to figure out how to be more physical, and I had to figure out how to rebound. I was able to break the rebound record, and thanks to coach Ferrell for pushing me and showing me that I am capable of being a big, tough guy.
That’s the way he wants us to play. He wants us to play hard, and I had to learn how to do that.”
When it came time for Sturner to have his personal interview after last season ended, he asked Ferrell what he needed to do in order to excel at this role he has now. Ferrell provided him with a personal workout that was tailored toward he needed to do to be successful, and it included mid-range shooting, post moves, finishing and topof-the-key 3-pointers.
His top priority heading into this season was to be in better shape and conditioning. He ran the 400 meters on the school’s track team and also did things that would help him play for longer periods of time.
“There’s no comparison to the player he was last year and the player he is this year,” Ferrell said. “He was a good player last year, but he’s been so instrumental. In the tight games that we have won this year, we don’t win them without Will. Izard County Consolidated had us on the ropes until Will took over in the fourth quarter. He could have never done it last year.
“He’s a leader, first and foremost. He’s just a leader. Every day, he brings it in practice. He’s vocal, he’s positive and everything you want in a coach. He never misses and never has a bad day.”